We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Allison Doty a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Allison , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Imposter syndrome is always in the back of my mind but I have learned to control It and put It to rest. Even with friends and colleagues enjoying my work, I still felt like I was “faking It”. What really helped me overcome the struggle was competition. I competed in the 2022 Florida State Taxidermy Association competition and placed 1st for my bobcat mount while also receiving the ‘Best All Around Taxidermist’ award. In 2023, I received first place for my rattlesnake mount. I learned a lot from competing and I feel like that placed my skill level in a competitive aspect killing off that imposter syndrome. It made me realize I am knowledgeable and skilled at the same level as others in my field.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
My art is made up of a very niche type of taxidermy including Pet Taxidermy. It is very stigmatized and I am working everyday to break that. I truly believe my art serves a purpose to help grieving pet people memorialize their beloved pets. I’m also a board member for the Florida State Taxidermy Association and I am a teacher and sponsor for youth taxidermists. It is very important to me to get children involved in the art of taxidermy. It may be a ‘dying’ art but I want to see It live on for generations to come. I teach taxidermy classes monthly at Dysfuntional Grace oddities shop in Ybor. I offer beginner and intermediate classes for everyone interested in the skill. I will be competing at the National Taxidermists Association show in July 2023 in South Dakota.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
The initial principles of taxidermy are the most important qualities to know. Repetition and following the basic skin prep techniques will assure that your mount will last many years. I failed a lot of times and kept going, finding solutions to every problem I ran into. Taxidermy is an illusion of how well you can hide imperfections. Don’t quit! I went to Taxidermy Tech trade school in Pensacola, and Ken Darville has been a huge impact on my success. People are quick to judge and have opinions on your work but block them out and pay attention to reference and live animals. We are recreating new life through skin and the best way to do that is by studying live animals. Seminars and completion critiques are a great way to learn these concepts and improve.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am always looking to do collaboration art pieces with other artists. Different mediums and crossovers between taxidermy and painting would be incredible. I would love to work with stores, restaurants and even home decor style atmospheres where taxidermy is not just a deer head on the wall but a true piece of unique statement art.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.MorgueMade.com
- Instagram: morguemade_
- Facebook: MorgueMade
